


Softly and slowly

by clarias



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: F/F, Lin Beifong's adventures in the closet, rather a lot of background korrasami
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-25
Updated: 2016-03-25
Packaged: 2018-05-29 00:48:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6352228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clarias/pseuds/clarias
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>"You left pretty soon after then, didn't you?" she asks, keeping her voice casual.</i>
</p>
<p>
  <i>Kya shrugs. "Pretty soon after," she agrees. "And the next time I came back Tenzin was married to some girl ten years younger than him and we had a new rock feature on the south beach."</i>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Three moments between Lin and Kya spanning Book 3 to after the finale. In which Lin is absolutely, definitely straight... right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Softly and slowly

**Author's Note:**

  * For [praticamente_innocua](https://archiveofourown.org/users/praticamente_innocua/gifts).



1.

Their group hovers at the foot of the temple steps, held together by anticipation and their individual determination to see Korra before the ceremony. The children are fidgeting under the warm late summer sun but even they are subdued.

Lin holds herself still out of discipline, resisting the urge to re-check her gear for the third time this morning. Waiting doesn't suit her.

"Kya, Bumi, you should sit down," Tenzin scolds them softly, his craggy brows crumpling together. "You aren't recovered."

"Well neither are you little brother, but I don't see you aiming for the nearest fainting couch," Kya gripes, adjusting her position on her crutches. "I'm fine."

"What's taking her so long, anyway," asked Reiko, flipping his fine gold watch from his pocket to check it. "The ceremony is supposed to start – "

"The ceremony will begin when Korra is ready," Tenzin interrupts him, making the president's mouth flatten into a hard line. "She isn't well."

"Zaheer should be in the ground for what he did, you have no idea – " Su erupts.

"Su, we've been over this," Lin interrupts her. "Zaheer will face a trial and in all likelihood be imprisoned."

"As you well know, Mrs Beifong, Republic City never has and never will offer the death penalty," replies Reiko with dignity. 

"Then haul him off to Xaofu, I'll have no problem doing the dirty work," she bites back. "He tried to kill Opal! He nearly succeeded!"

"I'm with your sister, Su," Kya pipes up her voice strong in spite of her injuries. "Revenge and justice are very different. Personally I like the idea of him floating in a cell underground for the rest of his life."

Lin sighs as Su bites back with another argument. Beginning to heal the rift between her and her sister has been a blessing but some things never change and their mutual exasperation was one of them. The complicated nature of Zaheer's arrest had been a serious sticking point.

Rightly he should have been dealt with by the Earth Kingdom, since he was arrested there and undoubtedly did the most damage there, but the kingdom was cracking to pieces and if rumours were correct whatever government emerged from the ashes of Ba Sing Se was as likely to crown Zaheer as imprison him. Su had argued that since it was her forces which made the arrest possible he should be returned to Xaofu for trial, and made no secret of what she expected to happen afterward. With Tonraq's obvious support it was only Tenzin's persuasion and the convenient fact that Republic City was nearer and time was short that he had been brought here.

Lin clocks the subtle rearrangements in her companions' body language automatically: Su is leant forward aggressively while Tonraq's hands clench into fists at Reiko making another inane comment about Korra. She hangs back, though, knowing Tonraq wouldn't start an international incident over something as commonplace as the president's lack of tact.

"There she is," says Bumi, shouting to be heard over the clamour and stepping forward between the Water Tribe chief and the president. Lin almost smiles at his transparency.

Korra trundles into view, her chair pushed by Asami. Lin had been a little surprised to see her step into the role of nursemaid but the two had become inseparable for the last two weeks. She's holding her judgement on that one.

It's strange to see the avatar so dim. She frowns to realise that there truly hasn't been any improvement; if anything she seems greyer and duller than she did on the awful journey west from the northern air temple to Republic City. 

Lin shudders to remember the trip. Su's crew had steered them as well as they could but the prevailing wind was against them and every moment their ship strained against the elements Korra had been whimpering with the pain. Kya, half dead as she had been, spent every minute bent over Korra, willing whatever energy she had left into healing her. It was only when she fainted that it had gotten bad.

She positions herself beside the stone steps and waits for Asami to wheel Korra towards her. She tries to think of something to say but nothing seems adequate.

"Hang in there kid," she says, knowing it's too little to make up for everything. 

Korra just offers her a weak smile, none of it reaching her eyes, and looks back down, clinging tightly to Meelo in her lap. Lin wishes Korra would give her a sharp comeback.

She bends them up the slope without another word, concentrating on keeping their platform smooth and level.

::

Air Nomads weren't protracted partiers, apparently, and after the ceremony everyone disperses. Korra disappears, probably back to her room where she spends most of her time, and Jinora is swept up by her fellow airbenders. 

Lin stands out on the wide terrace outside the temple letting the fresh sea air clear her nose of sandalwood and incense. A scuffing sound alerts her to someone coming up behind her.

"Hey," Kya says, leaning against her crutch. "Did you enjoy the ceremony?"

Lin twitches a shoulder. "It was fine. I'm... happy for Jinora," she says, choosing her words carefully. Privately, she's worried how the girl will cope with the responsibility. She's still so young and Tenzin has thrust her into the role of defender of the earth.

"It was amazing," Kya sighs happily, turning to lean her back against the balustrade. "A new airbending master, and so many new airbenders around her."

"It was very different from what happened with Tenzin," Lin says, remembering the day Tenzin had returned from the trip with Aang, his skin still tender underneath the new blue arrows adorning it. There hadn't been a ceremony then, only a before and after.

"Yeah well, dad always liked to keep those things between the two of them," Kya replies but there's no resentment in her voice. Lin remembers enough of the subtle, barbed fights between Kya and Tenzin to know something must have happened to bring about the change. 

"You left pretty soon after then, didn't you?" she asks, keeping her voice casual.

Kya shrugs. "Pretty soon after," she agrees. "And the next time I came back Tenzin was married to some girl ten years younger than him and we had a new rock feature on the south beach."

Lin huffs in response. Kya always had been good at hitting buttons.

"See you later, Kya," she says, pushing off from the stone wall and heading for the steps.

"Wait, wait," Kya says, clattering after her as fast as her injuries will allow her. "Come on, are you going to make an invalid run?"

Lin stops, hands on her hips. "What do you want?"

Kya gives her a sheepish smile, its patheticness enhanced by the deep circles still marked under her eyes and the grazes healing across her skin. "Can I ask for a favour?"

"Can I really stop you?"

"Now look here, don't get all prickly with me," Kya starts, her smile slipping into an irritated frown. "All I wanted was some assistance down the steps but if you want me to limp down and maybe fall then – "

"Fine!" Lin interrupts her, irritated to see Kya's irate attitude fall off her like a veil. She had always been good at tricking the younger ones into doing her chores.

Lin helps her over to the steps and bends them down with ease. 

"Why didn't you just find Su? You always liked her more," she gripes, setting them down as gently as she could.

Kya laughs. "I found her entertaining, more like. You were always so serious as a kid," she says. She gives Lin an appraising look. "Some things never change."

"Well, I hope that was a sufficiently serious trip for you," Lin retorts, prickling under the scrutiny.

"It's not necessarily a bad thing," Kya says softly, putting an arm on Lin's shoulder. "You really saved our necks back at the caves. Thank you."

"It was a team effort, I was doing my job."

"Well you do it very well then. Thanks for the lift, want to help me one more time?"

Lin sighs and follows the other woman as she limps slowly towards the north-east edge of the island. Lin matches her pace as they leave the smooth paved paths and Kya is forced to pick her way across the uneven ground. It's nice to be quiet together. 

They stop at the edge of the cliff which plunges down into the water of Yue Bay and face Aang's statue, his face turned away from them, looking over the city.

She pulls out a triangle of fabric and shakes it out; Lin vaguely recognises some of the designs on it as air nomad.

“Can you tie this to the branch for me?” she asks.

“Here let me,” she says, understanding Kya’s plan. She bends the earth up beneath them both to make a platform high enough that Kya can reach the branch herself, leaning one hand on Lin’s arm for balance.

Kya has a wistful expression as Lin settles them back down. "I'm going home soon," she says, turning to face out to her father's statue. The wind whips her grey hair around her face. 

Lin grunts a little in reply, not sure why she's been invited out here. 

"I miss mom and it's weird, being here. You know?"

"Not really," Lin admits, crossing her arms. "Why?"

Kya shrugs. "Everything here reminds me of the past. It's like being a teenager again, living cooped up with my brothers on this island."

"That I'm familiar with," Lin agrees. "After all these years, having my sister back in my life... It's great but..."

"She drives you crazy?" Kya grins at her. 

"Something like that."

"Well I thought this time I ought to say goodbye. I know it hurt a lot of people how I just took off."

"Come on," Lin says, shifting awkwardly. "You didn't owe me anything, it's not like we were friends." She knows that's not precisely true – Kya had been too much older than her for them to be truly close but they had been friendly, even when Lin had been going through her fractious teenager years.

Kya almost looks hurt. "Lin we practically grew up next to each other." Lin must still look dubious because she carries on. "If we weren't then we should be now."

She's getting old and soft, it's the only explanation. She nods and agrees and walks Kya back towards the compound where they're quickly subsumed by the crowd still dispersing after the ceremony.

 

2.

"Hot stuff!" Kya exclaims, whistling through her fingers and raking her eyes up and down Lin's body. She even winks. "That dress would look even better on my floor."

"Very funny," Lin says, tugging uncomfortably at the neck of the dress Su stuffed her into. She looks down at the nearly empty glass in Kya's hand (and its fully emptied companions on the table) and reassesses the other woman. "Are you drunk?"

Kya flutters her hand as if to wave the question away. The exaggerated expression on her face is answer enough. "I've had a few drinks, but weddings are meant to be fun. Fun? Do you know what fun is, Lin Beifong?"

Lin sighs. Weddings never have been much fun in her opinion. Any situation where you gather everyone's family up and tell them they're obliged to have a good time is a recipe for disaster, but then she might be biased.

Besides, it's hard to feel too jovial with the city in tatters behind her. They've barely had time to take account of the damage and she already knows her city is going to take a long time, years maybe, to recover. And how different will it be now, home to a portal punched straight through the universe?

"Come on, let me get you some water," she sighs, but Kya pouts and launches herself to her feet. Lin staggers under the weight as the other woman clings to her for support. She must be drunker than Lin thought. 

She tries to ease the other woman back down into her seat but Kya tangles her hands around her shoulders and whispers into her neck.

"I wanna talk to you. Why won't you talk to me?" she slurs, letting her lips dance over the skin of Lin's neck in not entirely unpleasant ways.

Lin freezes. Apparently the wolf whistle earlier wasn't only to make her uncomfortable.

She pries Kya off her and settles her in her seat. "I'll be back," she says firmly. "Stay here. We can talk then," she adds when Kya opens her mouth to protest.

She order two tall glasses of water at the bar, taking a long draught from her own before mustering the courage to return to Kya.

It wasn't that she didn't know about Kya's proclivities; she had practically grown up alongside her and the procession of girls in and out of Kya's bedroom had been half the gossip. It had just never occurred to her that she might be the target of that attraction. 

"Here you go," she says, taking a seat and putting the glass on the table between them. "Drink that and we can talk."

Kya pouts but drinks the water thirstily. Lin watches her, trying to parse out the places where the girl she had known and the woman before her meet. Maybe she was panicking over nothing – Kya loved to prod at people and was doubtless willing to flirt to make Lin trip over her own feet. The real question is why Lin lets her.

The other woman wipes her mouth on her sleeve and leans her head on her hand, smiling at Lin. 

"Sorry," she says eventually. "Weddings aren't my best." She touches her necklace with one hand absently.

"Who were... they?" she asks eventually, sipping her own water slowly. 

Kya sighs. "Unnuk. She was lovely but... it didn't work out. Obviously," she adds with a laugh. "We gave it a good try but honestly I think we knew going into it it would end up like this."

"Then why do it?" Lin asks, not trying to soften the bluntness of the question.

Kya doesn't seem to care, or maybe she doesn't notice. Her eyes have taken on the soft haziness of memory. "Because we were young, and in love, and it was a good few years before it all fell to pieces." She slides her gaze around to look Lin in the eye. "Who says a relationship has to last forever for it to be worth while."

Lin makes a face, her patience wearing thin. "There's a difference between things ending and going into it knowing it's doomed."

Kya laughs, a deep ringing sound she doesn't attempt to stifle. She smiles at Lin mischievously. "Says the woman who tried to date my brother."

Hot anger leaps up Lin's throat and she regrets trying to be nice. She jumps to her feet.

Kya puts a hand up to stop her, her smile melting away. "I'm sorry, i shouldn't tease." She sighs. "I'm kind of an asshole."

Lin freezes, hesitating between her anger and Kya's obvious contrition. 

Kya leaps on her indecision. "Want to dance? I promise not to say anything rude. Hell, I promise not to talk at all." She stands up and offers Lin her hand. 

The dance floor is packed, the band playing something lively with an irrepressible beat. No one would probably even notice.

"Fine," Lin snaps eventually. "One dance. But after that you're going to bed."

Kya grins widely and pulls Lin through the maze of tables and onto the floor. "You know it's a good thing I'm not allowed to say anything because I could tease you for weeks about that bed line."

Lin sighs as Kya finds them a relatively open position. "I just meant because you were – "

"Shh, I know," Kya grumbles tipsily, putting her finger over Lin's lips. She's so surprised by the presumption she doesn't even object. 

Kya is a pretty good dancer. She moves with the unselfconscious grace of the truly wasted although she manages to co-ordinate her feet better than most. Lin can feel the taut strength of her arm muscles through her dress as they twist and turn to the music. She knows she's stiffer than her partner, her body more accustomed to the curt and powerful motions of earthbending than the fluidity of waterbending but it's... fun.

As the song ends and the crowd bursts into applause Kya grins and leans forward, grabbing Lin round the shoulders in a hug. 

Lin hugs her back awkwardly, bringing up one hand to pat the other woman's back. 

"I think I just used up all my standing up," Kya giggles into her neck. "Bed?"

"I think that would be best," Lin agrees, sighing as she realises she'll need to help carry her. 

She hitches her shoulder under Kya's armpit and they stroll carefully out past the strings of lights into the peaceful darkness of the rest of the island. It's practically deserted and no one stops them as they shuffle quietly into the living quarters where Kya has her rooms.

Lin takes a few muttered directions from the increasingly sleepy waterbender under her arm and steers them into a small, sparely furnished room tucked into the back of the building. She dumps Kya onto the bed and busies herself filling a glass of water from the jug by the window. She doesn't bother turning on a light, the illumination spilling into the window from the spirit portal enough to see by.

Kya shifts on the bed, looking up at her slyly. "You know, you could always join me down here."

Lin studies her face for the teasing look which always accompanies these jibes but she doesn't see any of it; Kya looks perfectly serious, just a glint of predatory desire in her eyes and her cheeks flushed, although that could be the alcohol.

"I'm not... I'm straight," she blurts out, surprised Kya would have failed to miss that point. "Besides, you're completely inebriated."

The other woman gives a lascivious smile. "That doesn't mean my skills are at all impaired."

Lin sets the glass down by the bed and goes to the door, eager to leave the bizarre situation behind. "It does mean you're in no state to consent to anything. Good night, Kya."

Kya flops down on the bed dramatically. "Good night Lin. You know where I am if you change your mind."

Lin closes the door behind her and hurries away from the vexing woman. Imagine her thinking that Lin would want to – that she was –

She shakes her head at the thought. Her relationships with women were generally combative, if not outright hostile, and while she understood that certain rumours circulated she assumed it was because she lacked a certain degree of femininity. 

But Kya certainly didn't lack that. She was soft and languid and while she was forthright and determined she had always had that quality people seemed to want in a woman. When they were growing up Lin had always secretly envied the older girl her looks. Even now, time having had its way with both of them, she retained that girlish sparkle and the lines on her face hadn’t even dimmed it.

A rustling noise and a sharp shushing from up the corridor jolts Lin's senses and she immediately tenses, her detective's brain already whirring with possibilities. Crime was certainly not improved by the massive disruption and destruction of the invasion and a wedding was a perfect moment to burgle, even if she doubts there’s much of worth in this corner of the complex.

She creeps forward towards the noise, her body poised and ready to attack.

Moving quietly, she cranes her neck to peer into the room unobserved but what she sees makes her freeze, cursing herself for not considering the possibility that it was the room's occupant rustling about at night.

Korra and Asami are stood over the bed, clothes and supplies scattered on the cover and half stuffed into a pair of rucksacks. Their packing lies forgotten, though, as they’re wrapped up in each other, kissing desperately and passionately.

Lin looks away. She’s already intruded enough.

She creeps past, quickening her pace when she’s out of earshot. The girls needn't know anyone intruded on the moment and they could slip away as unseen as they wished.

Lin isn't surprised: the two have been circling each other for weeks, before the battle even, locked in some kind of magnetic orbit around each other. She wonders whether this is their first kiss or if it has been going on for some time, kept secret for some reason.

She frowns at herself; it’s really none of her business. She tries to ignore the small tender part of her heart which feels strangely affected and buries the feeling deep. It’s probably because of the wedding – people always behave so strangely at weddings.

 

3.

Korra and Asami's new apartment is perched atop the tallest tower in the downtown development, the spacious living room permanently bathed in the soft golden light of the spirit portal. They had leaned into the surroundings and outfitted it with subtle, glowing lights and a reflective cream colour palette which took on the otherworldly light.

"Here you go," Lin says, thrusting out her gift.

Korra takes it and looks at the plant pot, bemused. "Oh, thank you, it's a..."

"A  Cyphostemma ," Lin finishes for her, feeling self conscious. "It's a house warming gift, I thought it was traditional..."

"It's lovely, thank you Lin," Asami says, coming up behind Korra and throwing an arm around her shoulders. She gives her girlfriend a peck on the cheek. "Come on through, everyone's here."

'Everyone' is an understatement. It seems they've packed everyone they've ever met into the admittedly large apartment, although given their positions in society it looks as much like a global summit as a housewarming party for a pair of twenty-somethings. Asami passes Lin a glass of something and engages her in polite chit chat until Korra shouts her over to see something in the kitchen. She can smell burning.

Varrick appears beside her, throwing an arm around her shoulders in a disgustingly familiar manner. 

"Chief Beifong, have you had the pleasure of meeting my son yet?" he asks, skipping the preamble.

"No, and I – " she begins but he cuts her off. 

"You must!" he insists. She's tempted to do something violent to teach him some manners but before she can think he's steering her towards a knot of people gathered around Zhu Li, who Lin can now see is displaying a baby to their obvious delight. "He's a certified genius, and only a few months old. I swear, his first word was aerofoil. Can you credit that?"

Lin really can't but Varrick is never too interested in replies to his questions so she’s spared coming up with one. 

"Everyone out of the way, the chief hasn't seen the baby," he says, waving the crowd aside. "Meet Iknik Jr, future scourge of industry, politics and romance."

The baby looks up at her, no sign of unusual intelligence in his bright blue eyes but certainly no deficiency. 

"Very nice," she says, unsure how to appraise a child.

"Hey Lin, I didn't know you were coming," a voice says behind her and Lin turns to see Kya. 

"I just got here," she replies.

"Oh, what a charming baby!" Kya says, her hands moving to cover her mouth. "Can I hold him?"

"Please do," Zhu Li says, practically tossing the child to her. Kya wraps the baby in her arms and rocks him.

"Hey little guy," she coos. "Wanna go sit outside?"

Lin follows her through the glass doors onto the wide terrace and they settle down in the golden light and clear air of downtown.

“Iknik. What a name," Lin observes, leaning against the intricate metal railing.

"I think it has a certain dignity," Kya says. "And you could always shorten it."

"How? Icky?" 

Kya giggles and Lin feels a little spark of satisfaction. Maybe it's the superb whiskey warming her stomach or just old age, but she feels content. 

Kya sits on one of the deck chairs and bounces the baby on her knees, wiggling her fingers and cooing nonsense at it. She must notice Lin's sideways glance.

"You ever think of having one of these?" she asks, not taking her attention off the infant.

"And end up like my dear sister with her brood? No thank you."

Kya smiles, reaching down to tickle the baby's tummy. It gurgles appreciatively. "Kids aren't so bad, but I suppose it's too late to worry about now."

"We're not that old," Lin argues. She's only fifty five – late to have a child, certainly, but not out of the question.

"Oh yes, I suppose I could always adopt a twenty year old detective," Kya laughs, turning to look inside at where Mako is standing and trying to look dignified while Korra recounts the story of their break up to Opal.

Lin's mouth flattens out into a line. "At least they would be past the diaper stage," she says dryly.

Kya laughs, the sound surprised out of her. "Lin, did you really just say something funny? And not get offended?"

Lin favours her with a knowing look. "I have been known to take joke."

Kya smiles at her then suddenly grimaces. "Speaking of diapers, I think it's time to give Iknik back to him mom."

They take the baby inside and when Zhu Li realises the reason for their return she shouts for Varrick.

"I'm here," he says, hauling out a large bag. He flips out a folding table from it and lays the baby on it, rummaging through the rest of the bag for various supplies. "I call this the Varrick Babymatic 2000, it's going into mass production in a week. No more asking your friends to clean up baby poop on their dining room tables."

"Very good," Lin says weakly when he looks at her, expecting a response. 

"Come on, let's help Korra and Asami in the kitchen," Kya says, pulling her towards the kitchen while giggling behind her hand. 

Korra is slumped over a tray of unrecognisable charred lumps while Asami has her arms wrapped around her middle and is stifling her laughs into her girlfriend's shoulder. Korra groans.

"Maybe we can just scrape off the burnt bits," Asami suggests, still fighting to keep a smile off her face.

"It's all burnt bits!" Korra despairs, splitting open one of the clumps to reveal a lighter black center. "It's ruined."

"Well I'm glad I ate earlier," Lin says and Kya elbows her. 

Korra looks up. "Lin if you've not going to say anything helpful – "

"Come on, there no such thing as an unsalvageable meal," Kya says briskly. "What were these supposed to be?"

Korra looks at them reproachfully. "Scallops. It’s my mom’s recipe."

"Ok," Kya says while Lin grimaces. "What else do you have in?"

Asami shrugs. "We only just moved in. Neither of us really... cook."

"Then we'll just have to order something," Kya smiles brightly but Asami is already shaking her head.

"Do you know how much notice a restaurant needs? Maybe if it was just a few people I could get a caterer but we're expecting fifty guests," she explains.

"Honey, I'm not suggesting a caterer – I say we go buy out every dumpling cart and barbecue stand out there. They'll still be selling now."

"Oh," Asami says. "That could be fun."

"That's the spirit!" Kya grins. "Me and Lin will go get the stuff, you stay and keep your guests from rioting."

::

Lin licks salty grease off her fingers, pleasantly full from the feast they managed to assemble. The boxes of tender dumplings and sizzling sticks of marinated meat were a nice change from the fussy food which was normally served at the functions Lin had to attend. She feels a little uneasy that she hadn't asked any of the vendors for their licenses – illegal street selling was endemic in the city – but her rare good mood was hard to dispel.

Inside, the young people are dancing to the record player while Reiko and Su debate something through mouthfuls of fried dough. Iknik Jr is sleeping peacefully despite the noise while his parents lean against each other. Kya appears in the door to the terrace.

"Hey," she says. "Tired of the party?"

Lin shrugs. "I don't love crowds."

Kya shuts the door behind her, muffling the sound of the music and conversation. Despite the fact that they’re in the open air, the whole world around them, Lin feels strangely like they're contained in a safe, insulated bubble.

"It was a nice party," Lin goes on to explain. "They're very happy."

Kya smiles as she looks through the glass, the girls' house illuminated for them like a stage. "They're such a sweet couple."

"Brings back memories, hm?"

"No! The opposite," Kya laughs. "I think they'll make it last."

Korra and Asami are wrapped around each other, swaying to the sentimental tune just audible through the glass. The sight of them pierces something in Lin's heart and she feels a bubble of courage rising in her.

"Kya, do you remember at Varrick and Zhu Li's wedding, you – "

"How I completely humiliated myself?" Kya replies, hiding her face behind her hand. "Don't remind me."

"No, I mean, I said... I said I was straight," Lin says, rushing the words out. Kya looks at her but doesn't interrupt. "I don't think I was right."

"Oh?" Kya prompts, her face carefully neutral. 

Lin wishes she would react, give her something to play off, but she barrels on. "I think I might, even, be... not-straight?"

She steps closer, into the other woman's space, not entirely sure what she was doing but only sure that she couldn't stop now. "And I was wondering, if you, that is – "

Kya makes it easy for her, pulling their faces together with a hand on the back of her head and kissing her gently, slowly. It's confident but careful, a measured kiss.

Kya steps back, looking at her warily. 

"Be honest, are you telling me this because I'm the only lesbian you know over twenty five?" she asks.

Lin frowns. "Of course not, what do you think I am? I like you," she says, knowing it comes out sounding more like an admission of guilt that a romantic declaration. "If you must know, I even dated someone for a few months. A female someone."

"And what happened there?" Kya asks, still holding herself back.

Lin shrugs. "They weren't the person I wanted. But she helped me figure out some other things."

"Then Lin Beifong, is this you asking me out on a date?" Kya asks, a smile finally creeping into her voice. 

"Yes! What did you think I meant?"

"Since you didn't really say anything I was merely conjecturing. But now we're all clear..." Kya trails off, snaking one around Lin's waist and pulling them together properly.

Lin follows her example, placing one hand on the small of Kya's back and dipping down to kiss the other woman.

The door opens with a creak and a woman's voice gasps.

"Lin! Kya!" Korra says. "I'm sorry, you guys just carry on, I'll... You find me, ok? Ok," she says, shooting Lin a wink and two thumbs up as she hurries back inside.

"Is it weird I feel a bit like my dad caught me making out with a girl again?" Kya asks, looking back at where Korra disappeared inside.

Lin punches her lightly on the arm and Kya laughs and pulls her back in.

"So. A date?" Lin says, still unsure.

"Absolutely," Kya replies, tugging her forward.


End file.
